


Suitable for A Queen

by suallenparker



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Grief, Humor, Matchmaker AU, Matchmaking, Phil's mother is dead, Romance, alternative universe, happy end guarantee, plot inspired by a movie, royal princess au, so grief
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-04-30 20:29:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14504868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suallenparker/pseuds/suallenparker
Summary: His mother Elaine ran the most successful matchmaking business in the US so after her sudden death, Phil Coulson desperately wants to keep her legacy as the “Queen of hearts” alive. To do that, he needs to find the perfect suitor for Princess Melinda May.This story is part of theLLF Comment Project





	1. Grounded

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired by a hallmark movie named “Royal Matchmaker”. It's not the greatest romcom out there, but the trope was so fun, I just had to philinda it up. :)  
> BIG THANK YOU to @firedragon1109 for listening to all my ramblings while I was still in the plotting part of this story. You're the best! Thank you so very much for all your questions and your endless support!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Phil has an important date and a serious problem.

He was a disappointment. He was ruining his mother's legacy and she hadn't even be dead for more than five weeks!

God, how could this happen?

He should've booked a backup flight, just in case.

Hell, he should've flown out there ahead of time so a delay of three hours wouldn't kill his whole schedule!

With his black carry-on at his feet, Phil Coulson flexed his fingers as he stared at the gigantic monitor above him that announced all the flights.

This was the last thing his mother had asked him to do, damn it. In that stupid hospital surrounded by those stupid machines and …

He had seen her heart stop. He had watched the Queen of Hearts die.

God, she was really, really dead.

He wanted to call her now so badly.

Phil bit his lip.

She had asked him to secure this one client and for the last month he had moved heaven and hell for one ten minute meeting with the Queen of Genovia and now he wouldn't make it because he was stuck in New York.

People walked past him, some in groups, some alone. Most looked tired. Though it was night time, the airport was bright as day thanks to all the electric lights everywhere.

New York really was the city that never slept.

His eyes burned, his head hurt and he just wanted to sleep.

He could've slept on the plane.

He couldn't believe his flight was grounded for an uncertain time!

Because of technical difficulties.

How ridiculous was that?

Freaking technical difficulties.

When they had announced it through the speakers of the airport, he had hoped he had miss-heard, but no. He had talked to a lovely lady from the airport service but she hadn't been of much help.

No, she couldn't tell him when he could board his plane.

She couldn't tell him what kind of difficulties they were having.

Yes, there was another flight to Paris. In two hours.

He grabbed his carryon and moved to one of those weird mashups of couches and electrical outlets that every airport seemed to have now.

Most of them were occupied, but there was one four seater with just one woman sitting at the right corner of it. A baseball cap sat on top of her dark hair, that came out the back of it in a long, wavy ponytail. A big pair of sunglasses covered her face and like most people, she wore comfortable clothes. Black jeans, black hoodie and black sneakers. A black sports bag rested on the seat next to her, offering her a rest for her elbow.

He settled down at the very left and placed his carryon on the seat next to him.

A look at his wristwatch made his stomach cramp. Two in the morning. His plane should've taken off half an hour ago and so his one hour buffer had already turned into a half hour buffer.

He would miss his connecting flight from Paris to Genovia, he could just feel it.

He was so screwed.

He pressed two fingers on the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.

No time for panic, time to solve problems.

So he pulled his cell out of his jacket and made a call.

It seemed forever until someone finally picked up with a sleepy “Hm?”

Daisy Johnson sounded sleepy. Why did she sound sleepy? Weren't hackers supposed to stay up all night?

“I need a flight to Genovia,” he said. Not that Daisy was a hacker. Not any more, at least. Not since his mother had hired her over three years ago.

“Boss?” Daisy cleared her throat.

“Please call me Phil. Yes, sorry. I need a flight to Genovia.”

“All the info is on the ticket -”

“They grounded the flight, Daisy. Technical difficulties and they can't tell me when we'll be able to board, if at all, so I need another flight. Now.”

“Shit.”

That was one word for it. He heard her scrambling around. Something rustled.

“Can you get me on another flight?” he asked. He could feel himself sweat through his shirt, but he had a fresh one in his carry-on, so at least that crisis could be averted.

That she didn't answer made him sweat more. His palms felt damp.

“One sec …” she said.

And then there was a high pitched beep.

And then there was silence.

“Daisy?” he asked before he looked at his cell. Which was dead. Because his battery was dead. “Shit. Shit!” Pushing the cell back into his jacket, he leaned down and went through his carry on for his charger.

And nothing. Shirt. Tiny toothpaste. Toothbrush. A crime novel. His laptop. His Notebook. His calendar. Tissues. Breath mints. Painkillers. Bandaids, yes.

He even had managed to pack the Captain America comic that had come out yesterday.

But no charger.

Because he had packed the charger into his suitcase.

Because he had forgotten to pack socks and then he had grabbed the socks with his charger in his hand and now …

“I'm a complete idiot!” he mumbled. How the hell had he managed to screw up this badly? Shit. Shit, shit, shit!

A woman, playing with her cellphone, walked past him and he straightened up. “Excuse me,” he said, “could I borrow your phone, I need to-”

“No.” And she kept moving.

As did the next two people he asked.

God, he was so very, very screwed!

Then a hand holding a charger appeared in the corner of his eye. “This should fit,” a gentle voice said.

He turned his head to look at the woman with the baseball cap. She had beautiful lips.

A charger.

He didn't need a phone, he needed a charger.

Why hadn't he asked people for a charger?!

“It's already plugged in,” she said.

He could see that. She used one of the outlets between them. One of those outlet adapters was interposed, so she probably wasn't American. But she did have an American accent. So maybe she just worked overseas?

“You're a lifesaver.” He smiled at her and reached for the charger. “Thank you so much!” Their fingers touched as she handed him the charger and for a second he felt warm. He was so, so tired. The woman nodded at him before she focused back on her newspaper.

He plugged in his cell and after waiting for a minute for it to charge, he turned it back on. As soon as he did, it started ringing. Daisy.

He picked up. “Did you book a flight?”

“I could get you on a train and then on a boat and then there would be a flight -”

“When would I arrive?” he interrupted.

“Two hours late to your meeting.”

Shit. This all could've been avoided with a flying car. “Isn't there anything else?”

“Is there any chance that they will unground the flight during the next hour?”

“So my best hope is to wait.”

“Afraid so.”

“Thank you, Daisy. I'm sorry I woke you.”

“I'll try to figure something out, ok?”

“Thank you.”

They ended the call and he sighed heavily.

 _Meet the Princess_ , his mother had said. _Call the Queen, make the arrangements._

Her last wish for him to continue her legacy and he had failed her.

“Why do you need to go to Genovia?” the woman asked. She had folded up the newspaper and had turned to him.

He pressed his lips together.

She pulled up her shoulders. “You were hard to overhear earlier.”

“Promise to my dead mother,” he said. “She would've had a better plan and she wouldn't have left her charger and I'm -”

What the hell was he saying? Because of the sunglasses, he couldn't see her eyes but he was sure she was looking at him like he was crazy.

Because he was talking crazy.

_Promise to his dead mother?_

Who said that?

“I'm … Sorry, that was …” He took a breath. “She died a month ago and I finally could get that meeting she wanted me to -” He was making this worse. “It's a business trip,” he said.

She grazed her fingertips over his arm before she took off her sunglasses. “I can get you to Genovia.”

Her eyes were of a beautiful warm brown. She reminded him of someone.

Why wasn't his brain working?

She could do what?

“I'm a pilot with the Genovian Air-Force and I'm flying back there in half an hour,” she said.

He stared.

“We should board now.”

“You would do that for me?”

“You clearly need help.”

He snorted. Hear, hear! “Thank you so very much,” he said. “I don't know how I could ever repay you.”

She smiled and stood up. “Just grab your bag and follow me.”

So he stood up, but before he could grab his bag, his phone rang again. “Daisy?”

“You could take a fight to Paris and then a train and then another flight and then you'd just be half an hour late.”

“I found another option.”

“They figured out the technical difficulties?”

“No.” His other option picked up her bag and looked at him. “Thank you, Daisy. I need to hang up now.”

The woman smiled.

“Hi,” he said.

Her smile widened. “Hi.”

“I'm so sorry, I didn't even introduce myself … I'm Phil Coulson.”

“Peggy Carter.”

“Like the first director of Shield?” he asked before he could bite the words back.

“No relation.”

Of course not. Because Peggy Carter was a comic book character. He swallowed hard. “I'm not a crazy person, I'm just …” He was a mess!

She shook her head. “You don't seem crazy to me.”

And for the first time in weeks, he didn't feel completely lost.

 

 

o0o

 

Not even forty minutes later, they were already in the air. Her plane was not just any plane but one of Genovia's fantastic jets that their Air Force was famous for.

During his research he had read all about them. Fast little planes that could travel great distances. Great distances like between New York and Genovia.

The cockpit was spacious. He sat on a comfortable chair next to Peggy. They both wore headphones.

The takeoff had been loud but since then, everything seemed quiet. And far away.

The light of the stars than the lights of the city. No clouds, just clear night sky.

“You're a great pilot,” he said. His first words since they had boarded. Before she had been so focused on flying, he hadn't dared to say anything.

She flipped a switch above them and raised a brow.

He was such an idiot. “Not that I've anything to judge you on but you seem very confident. And just like you really know what you're doing.”

She nodded briefly and focused back on the sky ahead of them.

“How did you get so confident?” he asked.

“Practice.”

“Yeah … “ He nodded. “My mother had lots of practice. She was very good at it. The best.”

“She was a pilot too?”

“Matchmaker. Queen of hearts.” He ran a hand over his face. “This is the last job she accepted before …”

“You're a matchmaker too?”

“Yes.”

“And you're flying to Genovia to -”

“Find love. For somebody else. To find love for a very important client. I can't talk about clients. I'm sorry.”

She kept looking ahead.

“I'm usually not such a mess. I just didn't get much sleep lately and …”

“You should sleep now.” She glanced at him.

Sleep would be amazing! The last few weeks he hadn't been able to find much of it.“Would that be okay?”

“Yes.”

Perfect. He leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes. And it felt amazing.

And he remembered something. “Did somebody ever tell you, you look like the princess?” he asked.

“I've been told to act like one,” she said.

Or he thought she said. Maybe he just dreamt it.

 

o0o

 

Almost twenty hours and a pit stop in London later, he had slept through six of them and she had landed them safely at the Genovian main airport in Lian-City, which had been named after the very first Queen of Genovia.

The sun was shining and everything was bright.

The airport looked like every other airport to him, the sounds, the people, but she seemed at home. They walked together until she stopped. She wore the cap and the glasses again. He wished, he could see her eyes.

This was goodbye.

“Thank you so very much. I don't know how I could ever repay you,” he said.

She smiled at him.

“Maybe I could find love for you someday,” he said and pressed his lips together. “That was a dumb thing to say, I'm sorry. You probably have a boyfriend. Or you're married. I didn't see a ring but not everybody wears a ring and …”

Her smile widened. “I don't have a boyfriend.”

His heart skipped a beat and he smiled back. This was ridiculous, but she was beautiful and amazing and thanks to their pitstop in London he knew she liked tea and pancakes and just …

He had arrived here almost ten hours before schedule. If he could spent them all with her, he wouldn't complain.

“It was nice to meet you,” she said. “Customs is that way, I have to go through there.”

Because this was goodbye. “Of course. Thank you again.”

“You're welcome.”

And then she walked away.

And that was that.

As soon as he was through customs, he called Daisy again. If his calculations were correct, it would be eleven pm there. She should still be awake, then.

“Daisy?”

“Hi, boss!”

“Please call me Phil. I just landed in Genovia.”

“That's fantastic! How did you do that?”

“I met the most amazing Genovian Air Force pilot. Her name is Peggy Carter.”

“Someone sounds smitten.” He could her the smug grin in Daisy's voice.

“Just grateful. I'm gonna go, buy a charger now -”

“You don't have a charger?”

He took a breath. “It's on the suitcase on the other plane. I'm gonna buy a new one, but I might run out of battery again before I get to the hotel. Anything I need to know? Is everything ok at work?”

“Everything's handled. I've got this, don't worry.”

“Call me if you need me.”

“Don't forget to charge your phone.”

“Daisy.”

“I'll call if I need you.”

“Thank you.”

“Talk to you later, boss.”

“Please -”

But before he could tell her to call him Phil, she had ended the call.

And he was alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is, my next Multi Chapter! I had such fun writing this first chapter and I hope you enjoyed it too! Anybody else think their energy is crazy together? I couldn't make it through writing even these first few moments between them without coming up with a smutty remix. Ask firedragon1109, she can vouch for me. :D


	2. Meeting Royalty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Phil makes his pitch to the queen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all SO MUCH for your wonderful support for the first chapter! I'm so excited you're as excited as I'm excited about the story! (as you can see, there is LOADS of excitement!)  
> I hope you enjoy the second chapter, too!

The Queen's chief of staff was a tall asian woman with short black hair and great posture. If she would've told him she was the queen herself, Phil probably would've believed her, even though he had seen pictures of the actual queen.

Jing-Mei Chen just had something royal about her.

As he followed her through the long corridors of the Genovian Palace, everyone they passed bowed slightly before her.

The palace itself was breathtaking. High wooden ceilings and silk covered walls. Framed delicate paintings and needle points depicting nature; trees, flowers, especially tea plants in every stadium. But also picture of all sorts of birds. Big windows allowed the light of the afternoon sun to tint everything with a light yellow.

Jing Mei Chen stopped in front of a double sided dark wooden door that had delicate birds carved in it. So he stopped too.

This was the door to the Queen, Phil just knew it. He would meet a Queen now. The queen of Genovia. And the princess too, he supposed.

He swallowed hard and felt the knot of his tie press against his throat. He really, really wanted to loosen it.

Of course he wore the wrong suit for this.

But his suit – the perfect suit – was still stuck at an airport someplace.

Though the suit he wore had cost multiple hundred dollars, it felt itchy. And tight. And too loose, too.

He folded his hands behind his back. Like this he had to stand taller and his hands had something to do. - Even if it was just holding on to each other.

Jing-Mei Chen knocked. The black suit she wore fit her perfectly.

A strong female voice answered in a language he couldn't understand. Genovian, probably. It had a similar melody to Chinese to it.

He wasn't prepared for this! He needed more time to go through his data and to read up on all the facts about the land and on the princess. And he needed to perfect his pitch.

He should've gone through his pitch with Daisy a second time.

His mother would've been so much better with this.

He was just a sad replacement.

God, he wanted to run away.

Jing-Mei Chen opened the door and Phil saw a spacious office with an elegant, modern looking crème sofa to his right and windows to his left that opened the view to a beautiful garden.

The room was dominated by bookshelves that covered most walls and were filled with antique books and paper scrolls. A massive desk, out of the same wood as the door and carved just as beautifully, stood in the middle of the room. The laptop on it seemed strangely misplaced, but the delicate porcelain teapot and the matching tea cup looked perfectly fitting to the rest of the décor. Behind the desk sat a small woman, wearing a red costume. Like Jing-Mei Chen, she held herself very straight and had black hair, though hers was a bit longer and cut to a bob.

The Queen herself.

“Phil Coulson is here, your majesty,” Jing-Mei Chen said as she bowed before the queen.

With his heart racing, Phil bowed too. “Your majesty.”

The queen tilted her head. “So you're Elaine Coulson's son.”

“Yes, your majesty.” He was forced to take two steps towards the queen as Jing-Mei Chen walked out and silently closed the door behind him. So now he was alone with the queen.

“It's such an honor to meet you,” he said.

The princess was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully she would join them soon, so he could pitch Forever Love and their services and then maybe run.

“I'm very sorry for your loss,” the queen said. “Your mother was a very impressive woman.”

“She was. Thank you.” He swallowed dryly. He looked around the room. Maybe there was a hidden door in one of those bookshelves and the princess would enter the room through there?

“I don't have all day, Mr. Coulson.”

“I'm sorry. I just thought, the princess… ”

She squinted at him. “I'm not gonna burden my daughter with this unless I know you're worthy of this task.”

Perfect.

He should just run now.

Instead he lifted his chin and forced himself to smile. “We at Forever Love pride ourselves to be the top matchmaking company and I assure you, we won't stop at nothing to find the love for your daughter that she deserves and that we were able to find for so many people before her.”

“Are you sure you can handle this now that your mother is dead?”

“I'm not the queen of hearts but I'm her son. I will do right by her legacy. And most certainly will do right by your daughter.” He almost believed himself. God, he wanted to believe himself. He wanted to do this right.

The queen gave a short nod. “Tell me about the suitor.”

“Before I make a suggestion, I need some time with your daughter to -”

“Your mother already had someone in mind for my daughter. I want to hear about him.”

He stared at the queen.

He knew he was staring, but he couldn't help it.

His mother hadn't told him about a suitor.

She always told him everything about their clients. She always made sure the whole team had all the information and now …

He pressed his lips together, before he took a breath. “Unfortunately, due to my mother's sudden death, she didn't have time to inform me about every detail. But I'm sure we have the perfect man for her in our database and I will find him.”

Now the queen stared.

“I will find them,” he said.

The queen just kept looking at him. She didn't squint like before, she didn't frown, she didn't raise an eyebrow, she just … looked at him.

He wanted to look at the floor but he held her gaze. “My mother's last wish was for me to take on this job. This is important to me.”

“So this is personal?”

“Love is always personal.” He shrugged and forced another smile. “It'll be very personal for your daughter should she be willing to let me help her.”

“Help me with what?” someone asked. So there _was_ a door in these bookshelves!

Both, the queen and Phil turned their heads to his right and there she stood, the door behind her still open.

Long hair, suit pants, loose white blouse with a bow around the neck, red lips …

The queen rose from her chair. “Melinda!”

“Hello, mother,” the princess said.

Then her beautiful brown eyes focused on him.

“Peggy.”

  


  


  


o0o

  


That was supposed to be her day. Her one stolen day where she could just be good at a simple thing and help someone. Just a little more than twenty six strange hours where she could be her biggest hero.

Phil Coulson was a bigger mess than herself, that much had been ridiculously obvious in New York.

But he seemed so … kind.

When he talked to that Daisy on the phone, he didn't raise his voice, he didn't yell. He didn't go cold or distant. He just sounded tired.

She envied him for that.

Whenever Melinda got overwhelmed, she got distant. Finding words was hard enough for her under normal circumstances. Having people around was hard enough …

She knew she needed to get in control of that. She would be queen.

Diplomacy was dealing with people at its very core. And that was her job. Her privilege.

Mother always put emphasis on that part.

Melinda would get to serve her country.

And she would be good at it.

She worked hard every day to be worthy of it.

“Who's Peggy?” her mother asked as she came towards her.

Because _of course_ she did have to hear Phil say that.

Fantastic!

“What do I need help with?” Melinda asked in return. She already knew the answer. Phil had told her, hadn't he? He was here to find love for a very important client. For a princess. For her.

Her mother smiled as she kissed Melinda on the cheek. “You never _needed_ help with anything.”

Because she was too stubborn. Not accepting help was a sign of a weak leader. She bit the inside of her cheek.

Her mother ran her hand over Melinda's arm before she pulled back to gesture at Phil. “Melinda, this is Phil Coulson.”

“We met.” Keeping it a secret wouldn't work. She put on her diplomatic face and nodded at Phil. “Nice to meet you again, Mr. Coulson.”

Because now he wasn't just Phil, the mess from the airport anymore. And she wasn't Peggy Carter.

He bowed before her. “Your highness.”

She gave him her best attempt of a smile. “So you're indeed here to find me love?”

“Yes, your highness.”

“You two met before?” her mother asked.

“At the New York Airport,” Melinda said quickly. No need for Phil to get into details. “How will this work?” she asked him.

His smile was just as fake as hers.

“Mr. Coulson?” her mother asked.

“Apologies.” He cleared his throat. “We would start with some inquiries about you and your wishes. Then my team and I will find suitors we think will compliment your personality and lifestyle. We will set up dates with those you would like to meet. Whatever we can do to make you most comfortable, we will do.”

She raised a brow. “To make me _comfortable_?” That made it sound like a hospital stay.

He nodded, now absolutely serious. “The more comfortable and relaxed you are, the more open you will be to actually find what you're looking for.”

“When do we start?”

  


o0o

  


They made arrangements.

Then Coulson had left and Melinda and her mother had focused on work. The diplomatic ball would be soon and there was so much to prepare!

Who would get to sit next to whom? Who would get an audience with her or her mother? Who would get the first dance with the queen so they could make the most political capital out of it?

Melinda wanted to take the next plane out of here.

Of course she couldn't do that.

Unlike her father, she wouldn't run from her responsibilities.

So instead she had changed into some sports wear and went on a run along her favorite path of the royal garden.

Maria Hill, head of security and Melinda's childhood friend waited for her at her back entrance into the palace. She tossed her a bottle of water.

“What did your mother do now?” Maria asked. As usual, she was dressed in black pants and a black jacket. Her brown hair was pulled up in a bun.

Melinda opened the bottle and drank half of it.

Maria's eyes widened. “Don't tell me you didn't know about that matchmaker!”

Maria had known about that?

Of course she had known about that.

She was the head of security.

She _needed_ to know about everyone who would be allowed access to the palace.

“I can't believe she didn't tell you!” Maria shook her head before she pulled a cell from one of her many pockets on her jacket. “I'm calling Tory.”

“Why?”

“Cake night.”

Cake night would be fantastic!

Tory was the third in their trio. Maria's mother was an American diplomat. Both of Tory's parents were diplomats stationed here from England.

Growing up in this palace they had spent many cake nights together. Just them, a cake and some movies to hide from the real world.

“I can't. I'll have a meeting in twenty minutes.” Just enough time to shower.

“Politics can wait.”

“Apparently, my love life can't.” She smiled.

“Melinda …”

“I'm fine.” She wished her biggest obstacle would be finding a charger at an airport. She wished she could be someone else.

“One word and I kick him out.” Maria placed her hands on her hips. “I could kick him out right now.”

“He isn't the problem.”

“But he's easier to get rid off than your mother.”

Melinda squeezed Maria's shoulder before she left her friend behind. The queen wasn't the problem either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I don't know about you, but I love flustering Phil with the amazing Lian May! What was your favorite bit? As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts! ;)


	3. An Interview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the princess tries to get personal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU to firedragon1109 for kicking my ass and cheering me on while I procrastinated most of today.  
> And THANK you all for your wonderful support!

Her mother feared she wasn't ready. That was what she had said to Jing-Mei Chen at Tori's birthday party.

Melinda wasn't eavesdropping, but she passed a room on her way to the bathroom and then she heard her mother say her name. And then she said she wasn't ready.

As if Melinda didn't know that.

But she was trying!

God, she was trying so hard!

And she would do this perfectly. She would do this to her mother's satisfaction.

The white room was perfect for interviews. Her mother always used it when she had these one on one meetings with a lucky journalist fortunate enough to conduct the annual New Year's interview with the queen.

Everything in the room was white. White walls covered in beautiful silk with white detailed stitching on it, that portrayed cloud formations. White cushy seats, a white wooden table. White roses in white vases decoratively placed throughout the room.

The elegant green dress she wore stood in contrast to it. The high, straight cut collar exposed the slightest bits of her shoulders. Long sleeves covered her arms, but the skirt ended above her knees and showed off her legs. Of course she wore nude heels for this occasion. And her hair was wrapped into a perfect french twist. She wore natural makeup.

Perfect.

Melinda gestured at the table and stepped out of the way as a servant carried a tablet with tea into the room. Zhang Ge had worked for them for a year now and Melinda saw with pride how the young girl placed the green porcelain tea pot and the tea cups and saucers onto the table without having to set down the tablet. She really had come a long way from dropping the first cup she had served her on the first day.

Zhang Ge was doing this perfectly too. “Do you need anything else, your royal highness?” she asked.

“No, thank you, Zhang. That would be all.”

Zhang bowed. “Your royal highness.”

They smiled at each other before Zhang walked out the hidden servant door, just before someone knocked.

That would be Mr. Coulson.

Melinda brushed down her skirt and stood up straighter. Or should she sit down?

She should sit down.

Her mother usually received visitors sitting down.

Melinda sat down on the chair that faced the door and crossed her ankles to the side.

“Come in,” she said. She smiled. A Queen was always graceful and kind to her subjects. A queen smiled.

The door opened and Jing-Mei Chen bowed before her. “Mr. Coulson for you, your royal highness.”

And Melinda smiled. “Thank you, Jing-Mei.”

Jing-Mei bowed and stepped back to make room for Mr. Coulson. He wore the same suit as before. It was crinkled now, probably from all the sitting and waiting he had been doing since her mother had dismissed him hours earlier. He wasn't holding anything. Somehow she had expected him to carry a notepad or a laptop or an old fashioned clipboard.

He tugged at his jacket as he bowed slightly. “Your royal highness,” he said.

She widened her smile. “Mr. Coulson. Please take a seat. Would you like some tea?”

“Tea would be lovely,” he said as he sat down across from her.

She had considered having Zhang serve the tea, but she didn't want any witnesses to whatever questions Mr. Coulson was sure to ask her.

This was already humiliating enough.

So she poured tea for the both of them. “This is Genovian Summerset Tea,” she said.

“I've heard of that!” He nodded. “A light sort of tea, similar tasting to a Darjeeling, but even lighter in flavor. The perfect tea for black tea. But you already know that because you're the princess of the tea. I mean -” He pulled in a deep breath and she smiled without having to remind herself to do so.

“Do you like tea?” he asked and swallowed.

“This is my favorite blend.” She placed a filled cup on his side of the table. “Sweetener?”

He shook his and raised the cup to his lips. His eyes closed as he took the first sip. “This is perfect.”

Yeah, it was. She never took sweetener with this blend as well. It would just overwhelm the tea itself.

But they weren't here to talk about tea.

God, this would be so much easier if they were!

But a queen didn't hide.

“Where do we start with this?” she asked.

He put the cup back on the saucer. “I have some questions prepared to get us started, but there isn't really any plan. We'll just chat and see where the conversation takes us.”

She tilted her head. And smiled. “What's the first question?”

“It's a very basic question and I don't want you to think over your answer. Please just say whatever comes to mind.” Mr. Coulson smiled sheepishly. “What do you look for in a potential partner?”

“Someone who's trustworthy and reliable. Someone who's dignified.” She smiled.

“Do you have any hobbies?”

And she smiled. “I love flying.”

“What does your perfect day look like?”

“I wake up early and …” And she kept smiling. Perfect day? Mornings were nice. Mornings were quiet. She could get early mornings. Everything after that? Impossible things. “My people are very important,” she said. “I need someone to understand, respect and support that.”

He just looked at her, before slowly shaking his head. “This isn't working.”

“Excuse me?”

“You hate this!” he said.

“I don't -”

“You smile the whole time and you hate this,” he said matter of factly. “This isn't working.”

She pressed her lips together and looked down. How could she have failed at this so quickly?

“Is there any way you could take me on another flight?” he asked.

“Excuse me?” She felt silly.

“You love to fly and it makes you comfortable.” He smiled at her. A warm, gentle smile. “So take me on another flight.”

Oh.

She took a breath. As much as she would love to jump on a plane right now, she had too many responsibilities for tonight. “That won't be possible today.”

“When?”

“How long will you stay in Genovia?”

“As long as needed,” he said.

She had scheduled a flight tomorrow morning. - Just two hours with her tiny Cessna before breakfast with the ambassador of France and his daughter, who so desperately wanted to meet a real princess.

So what the hell.

She would give up tomorrow morning, too.

  


o0o

  


The sun was still rising when they took off the private royal airport behind the royal garden. She wore black jeans and a leather jacket, because that was the best attire for a flight.

He wore another suit. A blue one with thin stripes, this time. A dark blue shirt underneath. No tie. Maybe that was what he considered causal.

“This is amazing!” he said when they flew over the palace.

Everything looked so tiny from up here. The winds were great and flying indeed was amazing.

“What's your favorite flower?” he asked.

She glanced at him.

“You don't like flowers do you?” He grinned.

“I like wild flowers,” she said. “And tea in bloom.” They flew over the royal tea plantation. Green everywhere. The flower was white and small and unassuming.

“Do you eat chocolate?”

What kind of question was that? “Yes.”

“Chocolate is amazing,” he said. “Pancakes are also amazing.” He leaned to his side to look out of the window. “Do you like pancakes?”

“I do.”

“Do you cook?”

“I don't.”

“Of course not,” he mumbled. “Princesses don't cook pancakes.”

He was getting his facts wrong and it shouldn't bother her and it didn't even matter.

“I would cook,” she said and flew a curve. “It's just safer if I don't.”

He turned back to her. “Safer for whom?”

“Everyone.”

He grinned. “That's reassuring.”

“That I'm no longer cooking?”

“That you don't excel at everything.”

She pressed her lips together and flew another curve that pressed him into the seat.

He laughed. “Flying is the best,” he said.

It really was.

“If they would just build cars like that …”

“Excuse me?”

“A real life Lola would be amazing.”

“True.” She would give everything to fly Peggy Carter's Corvette.

She felt his eyes on her. That smile on his face concerned her.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Nothing, I just pictured you different …”

“Like how?” she definitely wasn't the perfect princess, but …

“Less amazing,” he said.

Amazing?

He smiled at her. “Less badass, somehow. More dainty.”

She focused back on the sky. “That's because I was hidden away and didn't know I was a princess until my grandmother came to tell me about my heritage when I turned sixteen.”

She watched his eyes widen.

She controlled her mouth. No smiling now!

He stared at her, his mouth opened a little, before he pressed his lips together and shook his head. “No, I _definitely_ would've read about that!”

Now she grinned. "You do seem to love research.

And he grinned back. "I do!"

For a moment everything was peaceful.

“What's your favorite issue of Captain America?” he asked then.

Oh dear. “Who says I read comics?”

“Come on, _Peggy Carter_.” Suddenly he was obnoxiously confidant. “You got my reference about Lola.”

Crap! She totally fell for that.

He raised a brow. “You _clearly_ read the comics.”

She sighed. “A friend of mine loved them as a kid.”

“A friend.”

“Maria Hill is the daughter of an American ambassador who was stationed here when we were young. She collected a lot of comics.” Still did, actually. But she wouldn't tell him that.

“And that's how you fell in love with them?”

She wouldn't answer that.

“Mine's still the first issue,” he said. “Where he's this puny, unassuming man who just acts heroic and Peggy has to save him like five times.”

“I like that one too,” she said.

“I knew it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who got the reference? Because did I name the country Genovia for this one joke? Why yes. Yes, I did.  
> I hope you enjoyed this! As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts, if you have the time. :)


	4. Dinner time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Queen asks them to dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life was crazy! Well, it still is. But the stress eased up a bit, so of course, now that I got a bit more time, my body decided to play tricks, so I've been home sick for a week. But I've also been writing! It felt so good to get back into this story! Scary, but good!  
> Big, big thank you to tvshowsaremylife, quakescavalry, khoryujane, crazymaryt, thousand-miless, agent-myj, samandjackshipper, carolineaquino73 and colaismywater for their support! Special thanks to firedragon1109 and pooritalianfan for always listening and cheering me on!  
> I hope you enjoy reading this massive chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!  
> Please let me know what you think?! I love reading from you guys!

Everything went great until they got off the airplane. Seemed like that was their theme from now on. Up in heaven, everything went smoothly, but as soon as he touched ground …

The queen had waited for them with her encourage. He had no idea how it happened, but somehow lots of disproving looks from the queen and a few polite word exchanges had let to an invitation to stay for two more days and an invitation to dinner. A dinner that would start in two hour.

Phil took a deep breath as he cut off the tag of the last new shirt. He had bought two full new suits and an extra shirt. And a tux.

Yes, a tux.

A tux that was still at the tailor so it would fit him correctly.

And he had spend so. Much. Money. On them. A business investment.

A business investment that gave him sweaty palms, but an investment his mother would've approved off.

She was a big believer in dressing for success.

He needed to represent Forever Love at the dinner with the queen tonight.

Oh God, he would have dinner with the queen tonight.

He needed half an hour to get from his hotel room to the castle and probably another fifteen minutes to get from the castle's entry to wherever in the castle he needed to be. So he had about an hour to shower and make himself presentable.

Then his phone rang from somewhere beneath the pile of clothes on the twin bed in his hotel room. He hit his elbow on the nightstand and almost knocked over the lamp as he moved the clothes off the bed and to the only other furniture in the room, a chair. The room might be small, but was also comfortably cheap. And he didn't spent much time here anyway.

Finally he managed to grab his phone. He recognized the number on the display immediately.

“Hello Daisy,” he said.

“Hey, boss.”

“Please call me-”

“Phil. Yeah. No. This is more fun.” She didn't even sound a smidge tired.

Young people. Phil rolled his eyes. “Glad to entertain. Why are you up so early?” If he did his math right, it must be four in the morning in New York.

“Didn't even go to bed yet.”

Well, that wasn't better! His heart started racing. “Do you need me to -”

“Relax!” How could she manage to sound _this_ annoyed, saying one single word? “Everything's going great,” Daisy added. “I just forgot time while working.”

That sounded believable. Daisy in front of a computer could forget almost everything! “Did you find anything about the mysterious suitor my mother supposingly had for the princess?” he asked.

“I started a search with our algorithm, but the parameters are still too broad. We got like 200 matches and nobody really sticks out.”

“So you've got nothing.”

“Nada. Sorry.”

“It's not your fault.” He sighed. “It's just so unlike mom to not write anything down.”

“It's strange. I just want to call her and …” Her voice trailed off.

“Yeah, me too …” He swallowed hard. “Are you sure you don't want me-”

“You stay where you are and rock this job!”

“Okay.” He smiled. “So … The queen invited me to stay for two more days.”

“But that's good, isn't it?”

“She invited me to dinner this evening.”

“And you're worried?”

“An ace up my sleeve wouldn't hurt.”

“Do you have any new input for me?”

How about the fact that the princess and Peggy from the flight were the same person? He bit his lip. He should tell her. Not telling her was silly, was it? Though that info didn't really help them with anything. Sometimes the princess pretends to be a commoner to help out the people was more suitable information for the local rag, it didn't really fit into their search parameters. So he said, “the interview with the Princess went well today.”

“So flying helped?”

“Got her relaxed enough to admit that she read every issue of each Captain America comic.”

“Checking the nerd box right now.”

“Haha. She also admitted to being unable to cook. She loves tea. She loves her country. She's a great pilot. She speaks four languages. She's smart. And she's funny.”

“She sounds great.”

“She is.” He sat down on the bed after a quick glance at his wrist watch. He still had some time. “What's new on your side of the pond?”

“Two new potential clients walked in today.”

“Walked in?” He frowned. Usually people called first, or contacted them via mail.

“Came straight to our office,” Daisy said cheerfully. “The woman, her name is Jemma Simmons, said she wanted to see us to get a feel for us.”

“Did you -”

“Arrange a date for deeper evaluations of their wants and needs true to our Forever Love formula? Of course.”

How did she always manage to make him feel like a ridiculous, overprotective dad? He sighed softly. “What did you observe?”

“Is this a test?”

“If you don't want me to come back, you better pass,” he said as stern as possible.

Now Daisy sighed, but he could hear the grin in her voice. “The woman's name is Jemma Simmons, as I said. The man's name is Leopold Fitz. They started a company together that's specialized in body prosthetics. Complicated genius stuff. They're both genius. They're both twenty-six. They have deep trust in each other. They are comfortable around each other and touching each other. They were clearly nervous, he more so than she was though the nervousness made him quiet while it got her talking really fast. Like really fast. She's British, so her accent made it extra hard to follow her flood of words.”

“But you could follow her?”

“Of course. She said they're both so busy with work that they just don't have time to look for potential partners.”

“Did you tell them -”

“That we're exactly the right people to help them? And yes I did say people instead of company because love is intimate and it's important our clients feel that we take this very personal.”

No bad, not bad! He smiled proudly.

“Did I pass?” Daisy asked.

“With flying colors. Now go to bed.”

“Yes, sir!”

 

o0o

 

Almost two hours later, he sat in the small dining room, as it was called. A room big enough to host at least fifty people in, so he wondered what the big dining room would look like.

As all the other spaces in the castle, this one was just as beautiful and elegant. Creme cloth walls with delicate drawings of birds and flowers in light blue hues. Real light blue and white flowers decorated almost every corner and surface.

A long dark wooden table with matching chairs dominated the room. The table was set for five people at one end of the table. White, thin porcelain with golden edges and crystal glass. Silverware and more flowers.

The queen, of course, sat at the head of the table. Tonight she wore a black pant suit with silver threats woven into it. To her right sat the princess. The blue dress she wore made her skin look even more radiant.

He had the honor of sitting next to the princess.

Across of them sat Anna Janovčik and Victoria Hand, the last couple his mother had brought together.

Anna was an Irish redhead with lots of freckles that Daisy and his mother had discovered at a New York coffee shop where she had dumped a piece of cake into a man's lap. Turned out, that guy had been harassing a waitress and Anna was having none of it.

She was a lawyer, like Victoria, though she specialized in criminal law, while Victoria's speciality was Genovian tax law.

He had only met them once before when Victoria had traveled to New York to meet Anna for the first time and they both seemed like great people.

“We're so sorry for the loss of your mother,” Victoria said as she leaned a bit to the left to make room for the waiter who served them a creamy, green soup.

“Oh yes,” Anna said. “She was such a wonderful person. Without her we would've never met.”

“Thank you, that's very kind.” Phil ran his fingers over the bottom of his wine glass and put on his brave face. His professional Forever Love representative face. “She would be very pleased with herself seeing you both so happy now,” he said. “When will the wedding be?”

Anna smiled at Victoria. “Three months from now. July, the third.”

“A summer wedding,” the Queen said.

Victoria smiled at the queen. “The queen kindly offered to host the wedding at the castle.”

The queen smiled royally. Victoria and Anna smiled at each other. So much smiling! But that was what happy people did. Smile. And his mother had caused that.

He was happy about that, he really was! But … God, she would love to be here right now. And she would probably handle it with more class than he could, despite the new fancy suit.

The queen said a few words, greeting everybody basically telling them to enjoy their meal, before they picked up their wine glasses and toasted to Anna, Victoria and finding love with forever love. Somehow that made both him and the princess blush.

It looked cute on her, he just felt even more awkward than before.

For a while, they just ate the soup – which turned out to be broccoli cream – in silence.

When the waiters took the plates away, the Queen turned to Phil and tilted her head.

“How do you enjoy your room, Mr. Coulson?” she asked.

“The hotel is wonderful, your majesty. Thank you.”

“Hotel?” The queen raised a brow before turning to the side. “Jing-Mei?”

The chief of staff stepped up to the table from the background. “Yes, your majesty?”

“Why is our guest staying at a hotel?”

“I will fix that oversight, your majesty.”

“The green room should suit him.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Jing-Mei bowed and moved away.

Phil cleared his throat. “That's not necessary …”

“I assure you, it is.”

“Sir, please, what hotel have you been staying at.” Jing-Mei asked. Somehow she had appeared right next to him.

“Uhm …”

“As soon as you give me the address, I will arrange for your things to be brought here.”

“The Genovian Somerset,” he said quietly.

The Queen pulled in a sharp breath. Yes, the hotel was on the cheaper side but not cheap enough to deserve a sigh like that. Phil felt himself blush again.

“Thank you, sir.” Jing-Mei looked a bit flushed, too. She bowed again and moved away.

“Thank you, your majesty, you're very generous,” he said and tried to fill that particular fake smile with lots of gratitude.

“No, Mr. Coulson,” the Queen said, “I must apologize. It's not our custom to let our guests stay at a … hotel.” The word _cheap_ didn't need to be said to be loud and clear.

“Thank you, your majesty,” he said again.

“So …” Victoria cleared her throat and looked at Phil. “Do you already have someone in mind for your highness?”

“Before I make any assumptions I need to get to know your highness just a little better, so I can introduce her to her perfect match.”

“Whenever I asked Mrs Coulson about my possible match, she would say the same thing.” Victoria ran her hand over Anna's arm. “And then she introduced me to you.”

“I learned from the best.”

“Does this mean you made no progress finding the mystery man your mother had in mind?” The Queen asked.

Melinda raised both brows. “Mystery man?”

“I promise you, your majesty, I will find the perfect man for your daughter.”

The Queen gave him another look that made him feel like shrinking. Perfect.

“How's Daisy?” Anna asked. “She took my initial interview and she was so sweet.”

Thank God, finally something he was comfortable talking about! “She's wonderful, thank you! She's holding down the ford at home while I'm staying here.”

“Please send her my greetings.”

“Will do.”

 

o0o

 

Another awkward hour and a half and three more courses later, the princess walked him to his room.

What had his life become?

The princess. A real life princess. Walked him to his room. Which was in a castle. And was named after a color.

And which was close to her wing. That was the next crazy thing right there. She had a whole wing to herself!

But the craziest thing was, that for the first time since he had entered the castle, he felt like he could breathe. There was just something about her that made him feel less terrified.

She was so worthy of love and he would find it for her.

They turned another beautiful corner and stopped in front of a door.

“The green room,” she said. “If you keep walking down the floor, you end up at my wing.”

“Thank you.”

She looked at the ground and folded her hands. “I'm sorry for your mother's loss. I'm sorry, I should've given you my condolences much sooner, I don't know -”

“You saved me with that plane ride. You've got nothing to be sorry for.”

She looked up. “We met once. She was a wonderful lady.”

“She was.” He tilted his head a little.

“She talked about you. She said you're someone special. And a big nerd.”

He laughed. God, that was so her. And god, he missed her so much. “She definitely was right on the nerd part.”

The princess smiled. And there it was again, that little tug at his heart. Like hiccups but different.

“Do you have time tomorrow for another flight?” he asked.

“You mean interview.”

“Same thing.”

“I'm completely booked tomorrow, but how about another early morning flight the day after?”

“Another flight before my flight. I take it. Though I'm not sure how wise that is. A direct comparison will most likely make every other pilot look sup-par.” He grinned.

She just looked at him deadpan. “Are you trying to butter me up?”

He nodded. “Buttering relaxes the client so they feel more comfortable telling me what they really want.”

“Hm,” she said, but he saw the corners of her mouth twitch.

“Also, you've got really pretty hair,” he added.

“Well.” Now she grinned at him. “I'm a princess after all.”


	5. Talking Romance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the princess talks to her friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here! The next chapter of Suitable for a Queen! I missed this story! I hope you'll enjoy the chapter, I had tons of fun writing it! Let me know what you think?

A royal experience, that described his new sleeping arrangements the best.

The room Jing-Mei had guided him to last night was big. A king size wooden bed and comfortable looking sofa and chairs, as well as a wooden desk with matching chair filled the space perfectly.

Everything was classy, everything looked expensive. It was, too. The golden lamps on the nightstands alone probably were worth more than he made in a year.

The walls covered in green silk with delicate white stitching of plants. The bedding was white silk. The chandelier – because of course there was a chandelier – was silver. The floor was parquet and it felt smooth underneath his feet, as did the lush woolen carpet under the bed.

Waking up in all this luxury was definitely a royal experience, as was taking a shower in that gorgeous green bathroom that was attached to the room.

Phil could easily get used to that part of living in a castle.

Thankfully, his body was adjusting to the timezone, so he woke up at five after almost six hours of decent sleep.

The other good news was that his suitcase had arrived yesterday.

The morning started out royally perfect!

Now he was dressed in his favorite sports attire, sweatpants, shirt and sneakers and on his way to the royal park to go for a royally morning run.

He was on his way to that morning run for ten minutes by now

The endlessly long floors all looked the same. He was pretty sure he had walked by his room again.

Signage would be helpful. Or a servant that he could've asked for direction.

Phil turned another corner to another floor that looked just like the floor he just came from.

Then a door opened.

And the princess stepped out.

Phil stopped and straightened up. “Good morning, your highness,” he said.

“Good morning.” She squinted at him. Of course she did! How did he manage to get this lost to end up in front of her wing?

“Are you going for a run?” he asked. Her white leggings, shirt and sneakers suggested as much. Her hair was up in a ponytail

“Are _you_ going for a run?” she asked and put her phone into the front pocket of her white sweatshirt.

He sighed. “I'd love to.”

She just stared at him.

Fantastic. He pulled up his shoulders. “I don't know how to get outside,” he said and gave her a smile that hopefully suggested that he wasn't a complete idiot.

He must've done something right, because she smiled right back. “Follow me.”

“I don't want to intrude.”

“And I don't want you to get lost again."

“I'm not lost, I just don't know how to get out of the castle.” Completely different thing, of course.

She kept smiling.

“It's a very big castle,” he said.

“True.” She started walking towards the direction he had come from, before she looked at him over her shoulder. “Try to keep up."

Well, if that was, what she wanted, who was he to deny royalty?

o0o

Within five minutes, she had guided him out of the house and now they were jogging through the royal garden. Green pats of grass at the perfect height surrounded by flowers in white and yellow tones. The sun was already up in the sky, no clouds anywhere to see. The birds sang. Some bees buzzed.

“It's beautiful here,” he said as they followed a small path through the landscape and towards a forest.

“Running here is the next best thing to flying,” she said.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Isn't that in your job description?” She glanced at him.

Fair. He smiled. “Why did you lie about your identity when we met?"

“I was undercover.”

“A princess spy?”

“Something like that.” She sped up a bit.

But if she thought, she could get rid of him that easily, she was mistaken. He kept up. “Wanna elaborate?”

She sighed. “When things get too much, I sometimes take a time out as Peggy Carter, fly one of our planes to an exotic place.”

“Like New York?”

“Like New York and then I fly back home again.”

“Can't you do that as yourself?”

“Peggy Carter doesn't need a security detail with her.”

“There's no security detail with you now.”

“That's because the whole area is protected.”

What now? Then again, that made perfect sense. He looked around. “Not sure if that makes me feel safe or caged.”

She got quiet again and he could've kicked himself. Of course she would be feeling caged? Why else would she need to invent Peggy Carter as an escape?

“When do things get too much?” he asked.

“Probably tonight."

“Tonight?”

“The Queen is having a dinner party for the Genovian V.I.P.”

“Politicians, diplomats and big business people that need to be schmoozed?”

“Worse.”

“Of course! He nodded. “They'll be schmoozing you and the queen.”

“That's not it.”

Now they were running even faster. “Then what is?”

“Being diplomatic the whole time.”

“There's probably a lot of bullshirt to deal with."

She chuckled and slowed down a bit. “There is.”

He grinned.

She side-eyed him. “Bullshirt?”

“Didn't think it wise to swear in front of a princess.”

Now she laughed.

“Could I observe?” he asked. He was pushing it, he knew. But no risk, no gain, right?

“Watching me fail?”

“I doubt it'll be that bad.”

“I'm not the best people's person.”

“You've got your charm.”

She elbowed him. “Buttering me up again?”

“Me?” He tried to sound as innocent as possible. “ Of course not! Your partner would have to deal with similar situations and it would be good to get some insights.”

“Always the professional.” She smiled. “You need to wear a tux.”

“No problem.” The tailor said the tux should be finished by this afternoon. If that wasn't perfect timing, he didn't know what was. “And I won't say a word tonight, I promise.”

“I don't think you'd be capable of it.”

“Hey!”

“You talk a lot.”

And he sighed heavily. “I know.”

She laughed. “At least you can talk _and_ run.”

“So tonight, then?”

“Tonight.”

 

o0o

 

All she wanted was to kick off those red high heels she was wearing and take off the fitting red dress, that was not only suitable for today's weather, but even more important, suitable for a powerful princess. Or at least that was what her stylist Amanda Fung had told her this morning.

God, she wished she could go on another run in the forest. Which was unfair, because her friends were waiting for her and she didn't get to see them enough and she should be happy right now.

So she opened the door to her dressing room.

Maria, Victoria and Anna already were inside, sipping on champagne. Zhang Ge, her favorite servant, and Amanda stood a bit to the side, in front of Melinda's giant wall of ball gowns.

Maria and Victoria wore black jeans, Victoria had hers paired with a funky black shirt and Maria wore a classic tank top that showed off her arms. Anna wore a blue summer dress. And most importantly, they all were barefoot! Their shoes were lined up next to the door.

Anna rushed towards her and pushed a glass of champagne into Melinda's hand, before she hugged her, almost spilling the drink in the progress. “You're late!”

“I'm sorry!” As soon as Anna let go of her, Melinda slipped out of her heels. It felt amazing!

“I should put you into something ugly just for that,” Anna said, but she was smiling ear to ear. She was almost vibrating with happiness.

It made Melinda smile too. As exhausted as she might be, this was good. “I deserve that.”

“You do!” Victoria said and walked up to them to wrap her arm around Anna's waist. “Also, it would entertain me, so please, dear fiancé, dress her in something pink and outrageous.”

“Who held you up this time?” Maria asked.

Melinda rolled her eyes. “Michael Berger found it necessary to call and tell me how pretty my hair is.” That German diplomat was five years older than her and though he was attractive, he wasn't half as attractive as he thought. And he was slimy.

Maria squinted. “Did he ask you out?"

“He wants to have a cozy discussions about export taxes on tea.”

“What a romantic!” Anna said.

Victoria took a sip of her drink. “And that's why the queen hired Forever Love to get you the real deal."

Anna smiled up at Victoria and leaned into her. “Like I got.”

“Exactly.” Victoria leaned down and kissed her.

Now Melinda squinted. “Why are you still here?” she asked Victoria.

“We need to decide on the bridesmaids dresses?!”

“Amanda only brought wedding dresses today.”

“I'm a bride. I need a wedding dress.”

“Didn't you want to wear a tux?” Maria asked.

Victoria nodded. “True. Still.”

Melinda pointed at the door. “Leave, now.”

“You're so mean.” Victoria pouted.

“Would it help if I'd send you a picture of my legs in a dress?” Anna asked

“It would.” Victoria kissed her again.

“See you later.” Anna said and picked up Victoria's shoes from the ground. She handed them to her.

“You'll look gorgeous, I just know it.” And again, they kissed. “See you soon!”

“Yeah, yeah. Kiss kiss, bye bye.” Maria took Victoria by the shoulders and helped her find the door while Melinda and Anna laughed.

“So rude!”

The door closed behind Victoria.

“ … and she's gone!” Maria said.

Amanda took a step forward and bowed. “That's my cue. Shall we begin?”

Anna almost jumped of excitement. “Yes!"

So Maria and Melinda settled on one of the sofas in the room, and Amanda helped Anna into the first dress …

And what felt like a thousand dresses later, they finally found the perfect one. It was pearl white, that complimented Anna's rosy skin tone, with lots and lots of layers and a skirt so big, you could hide a string quartet underneath it.

“You look so beautiful!” Maria said.

“Are you crying?” Anna asked.

Maria sniffled. “Am not!”

“Maria, you softie!” Anna said, but her eyes were teary too.

“I'm just so happy for you, ok?”

Melinda felt quite choked up too. “She's right, you look so beautiful, Anna.”

“I feel like a princess.” She twirled around and the skirt did the most wonderful things.

Melinda had to wipe away a tear. Anna looked so happy! “Now the sitting test,” she said before Maria could notice her state.

“Yes!” Maria said.

“What now?” Anna raised a brow.

“You'll wear it for hours, you must make sure, you can be somewhat comfortable. So sit!” Melinda had worn enough princess-gowns to have learned _that_ lesson the hard way.

Anna smiled brightly. “That's an excellent idea.” She walked to the sofa across from where Melinda and Maria sat and settled down.

“So's your dating life already improving?” Anna asked.

Melinda looked at Maria but her friend laughed. “Oh no, I'm not the one with the dating service! So what's new?”

Melinda pulled up her shoulders. “Nothing.”

“That's disappointing.” Anna leaned back into the sofa.

“He says, he has to get to know me better so he can find someone perfectly suited without wasting time with dating.” Which was efficient and exactly what she needed.

“Are you okay with all this?” Maria asked.

“Why wouldn't I be?”

“Because your mother _sprung_ this on you?”

Maria, always right to the hard of things… Melinda took another sip of champagne and smiled at her friend.

“Now before you lie to our faces, remember that I'll know,” Maria said.

And Melinda's smile faded. She swallowed hard and looked into her glass. “I will do whatever's best for Genovia.”

“So you hate it.”

Melinda took a breath. It wasn't that simple! She hated being out of control in yet another area of her life, but so far, Phil hadn't made her feel like that. “No. Not so far. Mr. Coulson is quite …”

“Cute?” Anna asked.

Maria tilted her head. “She's gay but right.”

Now Melinda had to smile. “She is. And he's already cute, the men he'll introduce me to must be _amazing_.”

“That's the only logical conclusion.” Maria smiled too.

“Then you'll have a perfect match, just like me!” Anna said.

Maria lifted her glass. “To perfect matches!”


	6. Research

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Phil watches the princess in action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to inthebeginningtherewasM for catching some mistakes in the last chapter! You're the best! I hope you all enjoy this new one! As always, I'd love to hear from you!

Anna's dress passed the sitting test well enough. One couldn't expect complete comfort from such a dress.

Taking a sip of water, Melinda tried to stand comfortably in her silver heels as she watched her mother's guests mingle. The four course dinner was finally over, not that she could've eaten much in what she was wearing.

The grand dining room was overflowing with people. Well, not really. There were around three hundred people in it, and the room could handle around five hundred without any issue, but any room with more than ten people in them was overcrowded in her book.

She smoothed down the silk of her blue cocktail dress. It was long, slim fitting, with a slit on the side and off to one shoulder. Amanda had matched it with the silver high heels and big silver earrings that weighed Melinda's ears down. Her hair was twisted in a loose knot at the nape. Berry colored lips completed the look.

“Princess Melinda! You look stunning tonight, as always,” someone said to her left.

Melinda had feared this would happen. Fixating a royal smile on her face, Melinda turned towards them. “Thank you, Mr. Miller.”

Leroy Miller was an English tea salesman. His head was bald but his brown, bushy eyebrows made up for that lack of hair. He was short and round, but his tux fit perfectly. The rich always dressed good. At least when they had stylists. Victoria and Anna were somewhere around here too, but of course, she wouldn't have time to talk to them. Because she needed all the time to talk to people like Leroy Miller. Important people.

Miller raised the delicate teacup in his right hand while he balanced the saucer in his left. “The tea tastes delicious! Is it the new harvest?”

“Yes,” she said.

“It's delicious. Not as good as last year though, don't you think?”

She squinted. “No.”

“I mean, last year's was very complex in flavor and this year's tea tastes just a little bit flatter.”

“No.”

“I mean -”

Yeah, she knew exactly what he meant! She tilted her head. “We're not giving you another discount, just because you insult our work, Mr. Miller.”

Miller straightened up, his eyes widened. “I never intended to insult you, your highness, I just meant -”

“To beat down the price.” She wished she could put her water glass down. She held onto it so tightly, she feared it might break.

“I didn't mean to offend, I'm just a businessman and-”

“This isn't a bazaar.” Her mother would've made her voice silky soft, but she heard her own anger.

He paled. “Of course not, your highness.” Miller looked down and bowed slightly.

She took a deep breath. “A meeting next week to discuss such details would be more appropriate.”

He looked up and smiled. “Yes, your highness. A meeting would be wonderful!”

She nodded. “Please just talk to Miss Hill, she will schedule something.”

After another bow, he left. Thank God for that!

Suddenly Phil Coulson stood next to her.

Where the hell had he come from? Like all the other men, he wore a black tux. Granted, he looked way more handsome than Leroy Miller.

“That was hilarious to watch,” he said, grinning.

He must be kidding! With that fake smile on her lips, she turned to look at him. “I was a disaster!”

He chuckled. “Why?”

“I was so rude!”

“You set boundaries. And you weren't rude. He was. You were perfect.”

“Really?”

He nodded and smiled. “I think you handled him perfectly.”

She relaxed her hand around the glass. - But wait a minute! She squinted at him. “How much have you seen?” Because clearly, he must've missed the worst of it.

“Everything, starting with his very lame approach.”

“You just stood by and watched?”

He nodded again, still smiling. “I'm here to _observe_. And I observed that you were perfect.”

She rolled her eyes and smiled when she spotted somebody else walking towards them. Why was everybody out to ambush her today? She straightened up. When would this evening finally be over?

“What is it now?” Phil asked.

“Don't leave, don't speak.” She moved in front of him and lifted her chin. “Hello, father.”

Her father stopped in front of them. “Hello, Melinda. You look wonderful! How are you?” William Sun graced her arm with his hand before he hid both hands behind his back.

The fake smiling made her cheeks hurt. “Wonderful.”

“That's wonderful,” he said and nodded. “that's really …” He sighed. His smile was as strained as hers. He focused on Phil. “And who is this gentleman at your side?”

“Phil Coulson. Phil Coulson, this is my father, William Sun.”

“Very nice to meet you, Phil Coulson. This is the first time we meet, I hope. If not, I'm sorry. I'm not very good at remembering politicians.”

“Very nice to meet you too, sir.” Phil bowed slightly. “This is the first time we meet, sir. And I'm not a politician.”

“What a nice surprise!” Her father smiled before furrowing his brows. “Now please tell me you're not some billionaire businessman either.”

“I'm not,” Phil said, grinning.

”Then who are you?”

“Consultant. He's a consultant.” Melinda said and swallowed hard. No way they would have that conversation now. Her father never understood the duty that came with her heritage for what it was. Where she saw honor in serving her country, he only saw burdens and captivity … Which was why he had left her mother. “I'm sorry, father. We have to greet some diplomats.” She looked at Phil and thank him, he just nodded.

Her father bowed again and took a step back. “Of course.”

  


o0o

  


People were dancing and talking. Still, everything was tasteful, even the noise was tasteful and the talking was more of a hushed mumbling than the loud yelling he was accustomed to by the parties at home.

A string quartet really classed up everything.

Phil waited with two fresh cups of hot tea as the princess talked to a tiny Asian woman in a green dress. He would wait for the conversation to end before he would hand the princess her requested drink.

Usually, he didn't drink anything caffeinated after eight pm, but what was good enough for the princess, would be good enough for him. It smelled delicious, almost like caramel or malt. Hopefully, she didn't mind if the tea cooled down a bit.

It seemed the conversation would go on for a bit longer. They were talking mandarin, he assumed. He couldn't tell for sure, he didn't understand one word! He wished he could sip on his tea as he waited, but since he carried her cup too, he wouldn't.

That conversation with her father still ran through his mind. He hadn't liked her reaction. They would definitely have something to talk about tomorrow. Technically, he was a sort of consultant, but the way she had delivered the answer bothered him.

The woman gestured and Melinda furrowed her brows.

Sighing, he watched over the dance floor. Only strange faces. Then someone familiar.

Wearing a purple dress with lots of black lace detailing, Hand came up to him. It was good to see a familiar face! He smiled at her.

“Good to see you tonight, Mr. Coulson,” Victoria said. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

He just shrugged and she laughed.

“If you believe it, this is one of our more livelier events,” Victoria grinned. “At least the food is good and the drinks are free. Is that tea for me?”

“For the princess.”

They both looked at Melinda. Right now, she had her hands on her hips and her head tilted to the side.

“She is amazing, isn't she?” Victoria asked.

“She is. And she hates every minute of this.”

“Absolutely.”

“What are they talking about?”

“Soil.”

He raised a brow.

Victoria kept grinning. “That woman is Fan Yifei. She owns a quarter of Genovia's tea plantations and she has a master in engineering geology.”

That made sense.

“Do you already have someone in mind who might be good enough?” Victoria asked.

Very smooth. Now Phil grinned. “I have some ideas.”

“Like?”

“It would be terribly inappropriate of me to share such details before sharing them with my client.”

“Killjoy.”

And right now he took great pleasure in it. But he wouldn't rub it in. “How are the wedding preparations going?” he asked.

“Brilliantly! Anna picked out a dress this afternoon. She refused to let me see it.”

He nodded as if he understood that particular injustice.

Victoria looked at him with big brown eyes. “So you should really tell me about the dates for Melinda.”

“Nice try.” He snorted.

“Nobody tells me anything!” Victoria threw her hands in the air.

Phil laughed. “I understand now why my mother and Daisy like you so much.”

“I'm pretty fabulous.”

They smiled at each other.

“How's Daisy doing, by the way?” Victoria asked. “Still programming her game?”

“Closet raider is still under development, yes.”

“She can tell me about the updates at our engagement party.”

“Engagement party?”

“Yes. It's Saturday two weeks from now and you and Daisy are coming.”

“Bossy.”

“I am.” She sounded pleased with herself. “So you'll come?”

“It'll be our honor.”

“Wonderful.” Victoria smiled. They watched as Fan Yifei and Melinda bowed before each other. “Now go, dance with the princess,” Victoria said.

“Bossy again.”

“You can drink later.” Victoria took both cups of tea from him. “That's Michael Berger walking towards her and though he believes it, he is not dating material.” She discreetly gestured at a blonde man who made his way through the crowd to the princess. “He could still talk to her when she's drinking tea. So go, dance!”

“How can I say no to being a knight in shining armor?”

“See? Listen to me and great things shall happen. Now hurry!”

Shaking his head in amusement, he walked over to the princess. “Your highness, may I have this dance?” He reached out his hand.

Melinda raised a brow. His heart stopped. This was a terrible idea! What was he thinking, asking a princess to dance with him?

Then Melinda placed her hand in his and he could breathe. He led her to the dance floor and placed one hand on her shoulder. They swayed gently. This was good. He could do that.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Of course.”

“Your cheeks must hurt from smiling.”

She laughed dryly. “They do.”

“Hey, what does the turtle riding snail say?”

“The turtle riding snail?” She squinted at him.

“The snail who rides a turtle, yes.”

“I have no idea.”

“It says Wheeeeeee!”

She laughed. A real laugh, he could tell.

“That's a terrible joke!” she said.

“It's my favorite joke!”

She looked at him like he was mad, but the smile on her face was still relaxed, still real.

So he nodded happily. “Only thing better than that is puns.”

“Oh dear.” She snorted and shook her head. “You mean that.”

“I do.”

“I pity your girlfriend for having to put up with your humor.”

“Well, I have other qualities. And I don't have a girlfriend.”

“The prince of hearts is single?”

“I'm in love though.”

“Oh?”

He sighed wistfully. “I'm in love with love. I love bringing love to others. I do.”

“And I'm back to fake smiling now,” she said dryly.

Now he laughed.


	7. Arrangements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Phil returns home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your constant support and your patience! I started my new job two weeks ago and it is great! AND I had this Sunday ALL to myself, so I had time to write! which is also great! :D I hope you enjoy the chapter … But please brace yourself for some feels! As always, I'd love to hear from you. :)

She flew another looping and he kept smiling. This was the best way to start a day, no doubt.

He wished it could just be this. Loopings and landscapes and peace.

They said good morning, she asked if he wanted to try a looping, he had said yes, so she flew and he laughed and they hadn't spoken since.

Perfect.

The sun was shining, the sky was open. And they were weightless.

Perfect.

But he had a job to do. This wasn't for him. This was about her. Allowing her to procrastinate wouldn't help either of them.

So after she steadied the plane, he cleared his throat. “Are you embarrassed about allowing Forever Love to help you find your perfect partner?”

She snorted. “You sound like an advertisement.”

Yeah, he did, but still. “You don't have any reason to be embarrassed about using my services.”

“Now you sound like a sex worker.” She glanced at him.

“In a very, very broad sense, that's what I am. Sex is an important part of most romantic relationships.”

“And now you sound like a school counselor.”

He laughed. God, she was perfect! “Can I be honest?” he asked.

She gave a shrug.

“Most people in love act like teenagers, so I suppose I'm that too.”

“Haha.” Her tone was dry, but he saw the corners of her mouth twitch up.

“Why didn't you want your father to know what I consult on?” he asked.

She tensed. “I'm a private person.”

So much was obvious. Why did she suddenly sound cagey?

“You're also a powerful, beautiful, smart and most of all very busy person. You have no reason to be embarrassed about anything, least of all about giving me the honor of being allowed to help you,” he said. Because it felt right. Because it was true.

She didn't respond, but her body relaxed.

“Can you believe that?” he asked.

She glanced at him again. Her eyes … He wished that he could hug her, which was bad. For once, hugging a pilot while said pilot piloted a plane was dangerous, secondly, hugging a client was not the most professional.

So instead he just put on a smile.

“Well, I know that it's true.” He grinned and tilted his head. “Now what's your favorite movie?”

She smiled and he was grateful for that. But she didn't answer.

“It's not really an important question, I just want to know.”

Still nothing. She flew another looping and he enjoyed the little jump his stomach made.

“I bet it's Top Gun,” he said, once she had steadied the plane again. Because it must be a plane movie, right? She loved flying! Now they were flying above a small town. Or maybe it was a city? From up above everything looked tiny.

“It's not Top Gun.”

“Is it Snakes on a plane?”

“No.”

“Those are the only flying movies I – Wait, is it Dumbo?”

She laughed. “No.”

He nodded slowly. “I always thought Dumbo was the weakest Disney movie.” Then he asked, “What's your favorite book?”

“Every person who says they have just one favorite book hasn't read more than ten books total.”

“Fair.” And true. If someone would ask him about his favorite book, he wouldn't be able to answer either. “What's the book you've reread the most? Why?”

“Really want to know?” she asked. There was a tone in her voice that made him suspicious.

But still. “It's my job to know.”

“The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” she said, sounding very pleased with herself. “I learned reading with this book.”

Smartass. He lifted his chin. “You think you're making fun of me but I think that's useful information.”

“You think this will help find me a husband?”

“Most definitely.” Hopefully.

“When will I have to start meeting people?”

“You don't have to do anything, but I hope to arrange for some causal meetings next week,” he said as if he knew these words would come out of his mouth. So far he had a loose idea about who might fit her, but he hadn't made any plans yet. But he worked well with deadlines. And now he had one. He swallowed hard.

“Will you be there to make the introductions?” she asked.

“Would that make you more comfortable?”

She didn't say anything, but he could tell from the expression on her face, that it was a yes.

“Then I'll be there,” he said. He would be happy to be there. Because his mother's business prided itself on good customer service. And he would be nothing but professional with the princess.

  


o0o

  


Home, sweet home. Almost thirty-one hours ago, he had left Genovia behind.

Now it was half past noon, he was late to work and already dead tired. Jet lag was the worst. At that, after he had already slept eight hours after coming home.

Phil sighed and opened the door to the Forever Love office while balancing the bag of donuts and Daisy's present on one hand.

The wave of loud music that washed over him, made everything tremble. He didn't drop anything, but still. After closing the door behind him, it occurred to him, that maybe putting something on the ground, might've made things so much easier. Damn jet lag!

He should've slept on the plane. But he had wifi on the plane so he had worked to catch up. - Of course, now that he had overslept, he was behind again.

He really needed to make calls to arrange some dates.

The song playing wasn't recognizable to him. Some woman singing about hunger and love. If Daisy taught him right, it might be Florence and the machine singing. But one thing was certain, if that music was blasting through the floor of their office, Daisy must be in her room, working.

He walked over the dark wooden floors to the first door to the left – the office kitchen. It was a small space, just enough room for a fridge, and some cabinets, a sink and a microwave. And of course a coffee machine. Like every other room, it had crème colored walls with dark red trimming. The other rooms also were decorated with big photos of trees in black and white. Because trees were stable and long-living and could survive hard times – like real love. But the kitchen was too small. The furniture was made of oak, that his mother and he had stained a rich brown color a few years back. It should feel claustrophobic, but it didn't. Taking the tree theme of the office even further, his mother had placed plants and flowers everywhere.

Phil sat down the bag of donuts on the counter. The plant next to the coffee maker was dead. Completely browned and dry.

The last plant standing …

They usually remembered watering this one because it was so close to a sink. Phil swallowed hard.

Daisy and he had already replaced the other plants with fake ones.

Why was this so hard?

He just missed her so damn much!

He threw the plant in the trash. He would clean out the porcelain pot later.

Taking a deep breath, he hid Daisy's present behind his back before walking over to her office.

He knocked against the open door and he must admit, the way she flinched at the sound made him grin. She turned down the music and turned away from the big computer screen on her desk to face him.

If she would've kept her music at this sound volume, he wouldn't have been able to sneak up on her.

As always, her desk was overloaded with files and of all kinds. Curiously, she was neat with all her online things.

“Hi, Daisy!” he said.

“Good _morning_ , boss,” she said.

He squinted at her. “I have a twelve-hour jet lag and you mock me?”

Now she grinned. “Yes, boss.”

“You're gonna regret that.”

She leaned back in her chair and put her fingertips together. “Is that so?”

“I brought you this.” He pulled her gift from behind him.

Her eyes widened. “For me?”

He nodded and handed it to her. Within seconds, she had ripped the silver wrapping to shreds. He had needed ten minutes to wrap it so perfectly!

Next, she opened the small cardboard box and pulled out a bag of loose leaf tea and a tiny green teapot. “This is beautiful!” she gasped.

“I also brought donuts,” he said.

She sighed and looked up to him. “Now I feel bad.”

“Told you!”

She sat the gift aside and stood up to hug him. “Thank you, Phil.”

“You're welcome.” He patted her back, before pulling away. “Got time for an update over tea and donuts?”

“I have ten minutes before Jemma Simmons will come in.”

“That has to work. Wait a sec,” he said. It took him maybe a minute to return to her with the bag of donuts and two bottles of iced tea.

“No time for real tea,” he said and handed her a peach flavored tea. “Now give me the tea on Simmons.”

The eye roll she gave him was minimal. So she really liked the gift!

“You were mean to me earlier. Now laugh and eat a donut.” He grinned and opened the box of donuts before offering them to her.

She gave him a fake smile. “You're hilarious, boss.”

Yes, he was. “Puns are the best.”

Daisy reached into the box and picked up a chocolate glazed before she frowned. “You bought a maple bacon one”

Oh, crap. His mother always ate them.

“I just …”

“Ordered the usual?”

“Yes.”

Daisy nodded and put back the chocolate one to take the maple bacon. She ripped it in half and gave him a piece.

“The plant in the kitchen is dead too now,” he said.

“Crap,” she said.

They both bit into the donut.

“That is so _gross_.” Daisy pulled a face.

Salty and porky and sweet and all kinds of wrong. He forced himself to swallow. “Disgusting!” How could his mother enjoy these?

Violently shaking her head, Daisy pulled the trashcan from under the desk forward and threw in the rest of her donut.

“I miss her so much.” Daisy sighed as she pushed the trash can towards him.

“Me too.” He tossed his bit of donut as well. “Now tell me about the new clients. How was your meeting with Leopold Fitz?” They both grabbed donuts they actually liked to eat.

“Everything worked well.” Daisy bit into the chocolate glaze wholeheartedly. “I could get enough information to feed into my algorithm. Just one small kink,” she said between chewing.

Because he was now eating a vanilla filled donut with caramel glaze and he had manners, he kept his mouth shut and raised a brow.

Daisy swallowed. “He's in love with Jemma Simmons but he doesn't know that he's in love with her.”

“But you know that?”

“When he talks about her, his voice gets all soft and the hearts in his eyes were a big clue too.”

He kept his brow raised and swallowed.

“Elaine said to always listen to my instincts in this profession. And I just feel it. He's in love with her, trust me.”

“I do.” He smiled. “So what's the plan?”

“I'd like to introduce him to Penny Miller.”

“The neurologist?” Interesting.

“She's everything he asked for and I think she'd enjoy his company. He might be in love with Jemma Simmons, but he needs to realize and accept that, too. As for Penny, I hope it'll show her that she needs someone who is different from her and not the same. And today I want to find out if Jemma Simmons has feelings for him too.”

“And you'll do that by …?”

“Asking about the type of person that she thinks would suit Leopold.”

“Might work.”

“Any progress with the princess?” Daisy asked.

He hoped so! He had spent hours on the plane going through the picks their algorithm had come up with. Daisy's program was brilliant but it only sized down to a number of suitors to about ten with the highest percentage of matching priorities, likes, and goals. It was always on his mother to pick the perfect suitors from that number. Now it was on him. “I think I found the mysterious suitor.”

  


**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors.  
>  I love feedback of any kind, including:
> 
>   * Short Comments
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>   * Questions (especially if you're worried about possible triggers or squicks for you that I haven't tagged yet - You can also send me questions on my [Tumblr](http://suallenparker.tumblr.com/), if you prefer.)
>   * "<3" as extra kudos
>   * Reader- reader interaction
> 

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> I will ALWAYS reply to your comments. Sometimes it might take a while, because I'm super busy with work or because I just want to roll around in your comment FOREVER! If for any reason you don't want a reply, just add "whisper" to your comment and I will enjoy your comment in silence. :)
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